The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-10-16
A PIONEERS RECOLLECTIONS
Mr.. ]. Fl. B. Rowland Talks About Incl
dents and Events Sixty Years Ago.
A Disagreeable Experience with the Delaware
Indians-The Survey of Indianapolis
and the First Sale of Town Lots.

eeyenty-fourth birthday on last Wednesday is
credited with having seen more of Indianapolis
than any other living person. He came here
he himself says. when solitude reigned su-
preme and its silence only disturbed by
the occasional report and echo of the Indian
rifle" few days ago he read before the Tip
pecanoe Club paper giving some of his remi-
ABSENCES, the last. he says that he expects to
As Anie TO write. In this paper he said: II was
here ar time when you could count the cabins
of the settlers upon the fingers of your band.
Those cabins were scattered over radius OF
three or four miles and their locations were only
known to the weary traveller as he journeyed
along the lonely Indian trail by the lazily and
slowly curling wreaths of blue smoke that here
and there rose above the dense forest. This
was all that indicated the presence of man.
1.-THE subject of pioneer life has almost been
worn thread. bare at the many old-settler meet
ings that have been held within a few years 1
have had something to say Of it myself. It has
been truly described of hardship, toll
and privaton. True it was amelorated By the
refec ton and consolation of having kept most
of the commandments; there was but little op.
portunity to violate, although fellow with
out the fear of God before his eyes and instigated
by the devil did most violently outrage the
eighth comm andment-'Thou shalt not steal'
He stole his neighbours wife This was no great
steal. according to the husbands estimate of
her. It would hardly amount to petty larceny
but he also stole the husbands Eice little fast
sailing poplar canoe, with which to transport
her down the river. Tho husband advertised
that if he would bring back the canoe he might
March. 1921, my father learned that Jacob
Whetzel, who lived the bluffs of White
river, sixteen miles below. had some young hogs
ne would probably sell. He mounted me on an
Indian q horse
gun, set out in quest OF hog meat" We
reached Mr. Whetzers in the evening and
learned that he had no hogs. He informed US
that man about four miles below him bad
some. Tho next morning we went to this mans
cabin. My father was not long in dickering for
two of the hogs that would probably weigh about
eighty pounds each when dressed. The hogs
were killed that evening and hung mp cool
The next morning their feet were tied together
and they were put the back of the pony that
rode, one resting on each side of the horse. /
was then mounted on top of them. the feet of
the the nogs between me and the saddle. we came
river. Mr.. Wbetz.f told my
father that the trace the west side
of the river better than the east and
more frequently travelled. When about hale
way between Whetzers and our home came TO
an encampment of Delawares 1t turned out to
be the band of Little Duck The chief seemed
very glad to my father, whom he called
Kentuck.' Little Duck was not slow in max
ing PROPOSITION to trade for the hogs. He
offered bear meat, turkeys, venison and skins of
different kinds. and finally offered to pledge his
silver hatbands, ali of which my father rejected.
He then said if my father would not trade some
of his young men would follow us and take the
hogs from ms. just at this time an old souaw
brought little Indian girl about my size
and age. and proposed to trade her for the hogs
for squaw for me. patting her on the head and
saving. 'Pappoose plenty This put the Indians
in litter of laughter. My father. taking ad-
vantage OF their merrlment. moved on.
noticed him frequently look back over his
shoulders, if apprehensive that the chief
might carry out his threat but we were not dis
haH hnn 70 iOh
ground west of the river, and where
the village of Belmont is now
situated, my father said to me: Il am afraid the |
smell of the fresh meat will attract the asten-
ton of that panther abiding to one that
known to be in the river bottom the winter be- |
fore We had better up to the mouth of |
Fall creek he said and cross the river there
When we arrived at home he cut M the hogs, |
sending a portion to each of the settlers One |
of the Hardings. who had just returned from the |
settlement sent In return for the pork some |
turnips, which were thankfully received by my |
father. My father remarked it would be the
first mess of turnips and pork they had in the
new purchase The next day my mother had
prepared the pork and turnps and put it to
cook. and was busy about her domestic duties.
She was attracted to the door of the cabin by
one of the familiar sautatfons of the Indians.
The front cabin door was filled with dusky Della
her babe and fed to the woods, where my father
with his men were at work. They has
tened to the cabin, where they found
halfcooked dinner on the floor, and were
sitting around devouring it like wolves. These
proved to be the same Indians that were so i'm
Fortunate TO trade for the hogs the day before.
They knew where our cabin was, and deter
mined to have a share of the pork Nv father
ala not, nor dare murmur. but intimated to the
Indians that 1t was all right. This the first
fresh pork introduced into what is now one Of
the great pork metropolises of the West
about the LIST of May, 1921. Alexander Rails
ton, as surveyor and Christopher Harrison one
OF the commission to superintend survey. came
TO my fathers cabin to begin the work of laying
out the capital in wards Those two gentlemen
had been connected with the expedition of Aaron
Burr. and when that expedition broken up.
in 1915: they sought home in the wilds of In
diana Territory-Mr. Ralston Salem. Wash
ington county. Mr. Harrison lived the life Of a
hermit on the right bank Of the Ohio river. just
below Madison, and was known as the rec,use
of the Ohio. He then elected first
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS of the State. with
Jonathan Jennings as Governor. Mr.. Ralston
was native of Glasgow. Scotland, and had
sisted in laying out the CITY Of Washington, which
accounts for the similarity in the two cities in
their avenues and public squares. Mr.. Ralston
mad prepared diagram OF what he intended to
survey. 1t was one mile SQUARE in the center of
the four sections which had been donated by
Congress for seat of government This dia-
gram showed the survey to extend from East to
w est and from North to South streets. When
the old gentleman was exhibiting his diagram
he remarked If half Of this survey is ever built
On what beautiful town it will make Could
the worthy old Scotchman awake to-day from
his three score years of the sleep Of death how he
be left transformed into a city of as
east one hundred thousand inhabitants.
The survey was partially stopped by the sick
ness of that year, but before the Agent of State
left he appointed James Blake Daniel Shaffer
and Matthias r. Rowland, the latter my father,
to select suitable place for the burial of the
dead. In few days they met and performed
the duty by selecting the western part of what
g known as Greenlawn. just week from
that day Mr.. Shaffer of the three, was
buried in it. This the first white man
buried In the new purchase The survey was
resumed and finished early in the fall.
THE sale of lots. which commenced my
fathers cabin on the 9th of October, brought
,ether great multitude of people The whole
woods seemed alive with people-the staid old {
Quaker from North Carolina here, the
broad shouldered old Dutcbman from PeEnsyl-
vania was here. the shrewd Yankee from Z
Vermont was here, the heightened. loud-sound.ng
Ken tuckian was here-indeed, nearly all +.